Love's All a Matter of Quidditch
by littany
Summary: James Potter has had a brilliant inspiration-love and Quidditch work the same way. So how will this star seeker use Quidditch to snag Lily Evans? Let the games begin!
1. Prologue

It was a clear night with beautiful stars twinkling in a sea of dark air.  The full moon hung brightly in the sky, illuminating the forest for those outside.  There was even a fresh spring breeze that rustled the leaves on the trees. The students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were, for the most part, sound asleep in their beds.  Every student in the Gryffindor 5th year girls' dormitory, that was, save Lily Isabella Evans.  

She was in a rather interesting predicament, one she had never imagined herself to ever be in.  Lily was outside Hogwarts in the dark Forbidden Forest, crouched beneath a tree, cold, hungry, and very, very tired.  She was, also, of course, completely and utterly lost.  It was after midnight; she was supposed to be back in bed hours ago.  Luckily, she was a strong girl, and the dark hadn't scared her much at first, but now, with the situation looking worse than ever, she was beginning to become frightened of what lurked in the shadows of the forest.  

How did Lily end up stuck in the Forbidden Forest that late spring night?  That was a rather interesting story as well.  She had been serving her first detention in five years of attending wizarding school, because she had caught the notorious DADA teacher, Derek Vector, in a foul disposition.  She had walked into his office to ask him about an essay for class, but he hadn't been there when she opened his door.  Normally, she would have been a good student and waited outside, but something on his desk had caught her eye—a red envelope.  Of course, soon enough, her curiosity won over her integrity, and she left the door slightly open as she walked to his desk to examine it.  

The envelope was open, and a letter was beside it.  Lily hadn't read very much of it before she heard the office door slam.  It was Vector, of course, looking enraged.  He accused her of "invading his privacy" and promptly gave her a detention.  

Luckily, she was assigned detention with the school gamekeeper, Hagrid, her friend since second year, when she found a wounded unicorn on school grounds.  It was a night detention, but Hagrid promised not to keep her awake too long.  She was supposed to help him and his kneazle, Puppy, check up on the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest.

So she, Puppy and Hagrid had set out at 11:00 PM.  Everything went fine for the first hour.  The two young centaurs Chiron and Pan were found gazing upon Saturn, and old gray Janus was grooming himself in the moonlight near the lake.  They had been traveling through a particularly dark part of the forest, searching for others, when the threesome heard a strange growling from the left.  Hagrid frowned and told Lily to wait with Puppy.  She was anxious about being left alone in the forest, but Hagrid assured her Puppy would keep her safe.  

Therefore, Lily had been waiting with Puppy, who had decided to pass the time grooming himself, much like a housecat, when they both heard a chilling howl.  Puppy's ears perked up, and Lily shivered, for once, not of the cold.  Puppy stood up suddenly, watching the bushes to the left of the clearing they had been waiting in.  Without warning, he turned and dashed away.

Of course, Lily panicked.  She knew that kneazles could sense things she couldn't, so she was quite worried about him running away so quickly.  She tried to run after Puppy, but he was too quick, and she soon lost sight of his speckled back in the dark shadows of he night. Lily stopped for a moment to take a breath, and knew she was completely and utterly lost, since there was no way she could catch up with Puppy.  She had always been taught to stay in one place so it would be easier to find her if she got lost, so she sat down underneath a redwood tree, hoping Puppy or Hagrid would find her soon.  

So this was where the story started.  Lily had been waiting for what seemed like hours for somebody—anybody to find her. With her situation looking quite hopeless, she was feeling desperate, almost enough to start crying.  She could search around the forest…but what if that just made her more lost? 

Suddenly, the bushes rustled beside her, and her head perked up immediately.  There, untangling himself from the bushes was a skinny boy. Lily could only faintly see his outline in the darkness.  "Should've known," he mumbled distractedly, dusting his robes off.  His voice sounded very familiar.  She could almost place it… 

"Potter?" she asked incredulously, standing up as she recognized the figure of the Gryffindor fifth-year she had despised for years, James Potter.

Maybe despised was too strong a word, but there were certain bad feelings between the two—at least on Lily's side.  She wasn't sure how to explain it—it had started the first day of Hogwarts, when she had accidentally rammed her cart into him without apologizing.  Lily knew it had been rather inconsiderate of her, but that day had been one of the worst in her life—she was attending a new school in an unfamiliar world with no friends, no family—no real support.  Worst of all, this was when her best friend in the world had started hating her—her older sister Petunia.  Petunia didn't like having "a freak" for a sister.  

Well, that was the first year, anyway.  James Potter and his friends Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew soon became the "coolest" boys at school, much to Lily's disgust, since most of what they did was hexing and bullying other unfortunate students, causing trouble and collecting detentions like most other people collect rocks.  Well, perhaps that was a bit unfair; Lupin usually was better than that, but Lily though he should have the courage to stand up to his friends. Anyway, Potter was quite the arrogant git who felt nothing for others…Lily knew for a fact he came from a rich wizarding family and probably had been spoiled his entire life.  He also played Quidditch, chaser until this year, when he finally made seeker position.  Not that this improved his image any more in her eyes; she wasn't a huge fan of Quidditch.       

Potter looked at her, the full moon reflecting off his glasses to reveal hazel eyes.  "Evans," he said, clearly surprised.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, walking up to him and holding her robes closer to her body to abate the cold.  

"I was just about to ask you that," he answered, crossing his arms across his chest after checking the forest around them.

                "Well, will you be courteous for once and grace me with an answer?"

                He looked thoughtful.  "I would, Evans, really, but I'm afraid it would have to be a lie."

Lily blinked.  Why was he talking in riddles?  "Whatever, I guess that's not really important, even though as a prefect, I should give you a detention for even being here.  Anyway, would you happen to know the way out of this forest?"

                He looked interested.  "Are you asking me for help?" he asked, the corners of his mouth turning up into his own mischievous smile.  

                She rolled her eyes.  "Perhaps.  Will you give it to me?"

                "Maybe." He uncrossed his arms and looked at her seriously, for once.  "You really shouldn't be out here, you know.  It's dangerous."

                "You act like I want to be here.  Look, are you going to help me or not?  Because if not, I don't think we should waste our…"

                A long, loud, chilling howl suddenly broke the night air.  Lily exchanged a nervous glance with Potter, who looked alarmed.  "Bloody hell," he whispered, looking behind him anxiously.

                Lily asked, shivering.  "What is that noise?  I heard it before when I was with Puppy—" She stopped mid-sentence because he had grabbed her arm.  "What…?"

                "Come on, we have to get out of here," Potter said, tugging her arm.  

                "Why?" She asked, trying to pull her arm away.

                "There's no time for that!"  Just then, she pulled her arm out of his grasp.  He glared at her.  "Look, Evans, maybe you won't believe me, but there is a werewolf in the forest this very moment, and we have to make sure it does not find us."

                Lily looked puzzled.  "A werewolf?  Codswallop!  They wouldn't keep werewolves in the forest, it's too—" Once again, he grabbed her arm, and this time she was caught off guard.  He pulled her along as he sped up.  "Wait, stop!  You can't be serious…"    

                Potter ignored her and kept on running.  Maybe it was just her imagination, but Lily thought she could hear something behind them, so she decided not to say anything—for the time being.  

                Soon enough, they happened upon a dead end where the rest of the path was blocked by old tree stumps.  Potter finally stopped and let her arm free.  "Finally," she hissed, shaking her arm to let free some of the tension.  She turned to look at him.  "Now, what…?"

                He was looking directly at her.  "Can you climb?" he asked, motioning towards the tree in behind them.  

                "Yes…" she answered, giving him a strange look. 

                "Then, come on," he said, grabbing onto one of the lower branches and hoisting himself up.  She watched him, bewildered for a few moments, and then sighed, following him.  Maybe once they were up there she'd find some answers.  

                She found Potter sitting on a seat of branches near the top of the tree.  "Lucky," he declared, leaning back on a branch lightly.  

                "And, why, pray tell, is that?"

                "Because R—the werewolf," he corrected himself, "didn't catch us.  I think that's pretty lucky."

                "Are you still going on about that?"

                He raised an eyebrow at her.  "Didn't you recognize the howl?"  

                "Well, yes, of course…but that's ridiculous," she said, settling down in some branches opposite to Potter.  "Why would Dumbledore keep werewolves in the forest?  They're very dangerous creatures!"

                "Not when they're human," Potter answered with a strange coldness.  "And they are only dangerous to humans, ironically."

                Lily thought he was acting strangely serious—she had not seen him like this in all the four years she had known him.  "It still doesn't make any sense," she went on.  "After all, first priority is the students' safety, and—"

                The bushes suddenly rustled underneath the tree, and Potter's eyes widened. "Belt up," he whispered frantically.  

                She narrowed her eyes at him.  "I don't see why I should," she hissed.  "Just because you don't want to hear me talk…and you really shouldn't be so rude…"

                "Don't be daft!  He's coming; he'll hear us!"  

                "_Who are you on about?  Considering the fact that you don't seem to know how to get out of this place," Potter was making frantic "quiet" gestures and watching the bushes below nervously, but she ignored him. " I think it's a __good thing if someone hears us!"  He had reached out to cover her mouth, but she pushed his hand away with her own.   "You're acting very strangely, you know—"_

                So he shut her up in the best way a teenage boy knew how:  with his lips.  He took the opportunity when she pushed his hand away to lean forward very quickly and place his mouth over hers.  Lily was, of course, taken completely by surprise.  Once she regained composure, past Potter's head, she could see the figure a scraggly gray wolf pacing the shadows of the forest below them.  She wanted to pull away, but seeing Potter's hazel eyes boring into her own, she knew there was no way she could move without the wolf noticing them.  So, she clamped her mouth shut and held her breath, waiting.

                The wolf sniffed the tree they were hiding in intensely, and even peered up into its branches before it slinked back into the darkness.  _Finally, _Lily thought joyously.  Suddenly, she felt Potter's hands move…almost like he was about to pull her closer…

But she didn't give him the chance.  Not caring whether the wolf had left or not, she reached out and slapped him hard across the cheek.  

                "Ow!" he cried, clutching his cheek, which now sported a red hand imprint. "What was that for?"

                "You **randy bastard!" she hissed.  "You asked for that.  You so did, you…" she coughed and groaned.  "I can't BELIEVE you did that!"**

                "I just saved your life!"  He said defensively, still holding his cheek, although he had sort of a glassed over look in his eyes.  

                "I don't even want to look at you," she raged, lowering herself down from the tree.

                "You couldn't even thank me, could you?" Potter asked, watching her from his perch in the tree.  He sounded exasperated; perhaps even a little hurt.  

                Lily did not answer him.  She was much too angry to care.  Reaching the ground, she shivered and it took all six years of private elementary school training to keep her from spitting on the ground.  She was just about to leave the clearing when she heard another rustle.  She froze dead in her tracks, but to her great relief, a small speckled animal jumped out of the bushes next to her.  "Puppy!" she cried, happily.  

                "Lily! There yeh are!" Lily could now see Hagrid's large figure approaching her.  He was looking quite worried.  "I'm glad Puppy found yeh.  Can't believe 'e left yeh.  I was worried about yeh…"

                "I'm fine, Hagrid," Lily assured him, leaning down to pat Puppy on the head.  "Puppy was scared."  A chill ran though the air, not just because of the cold, and she stood up, addressing Hagrid.  "Did you know there's a werewolf in this forest?"  

                Hagrid's eyes widened, and he looked up at the sky to see the full yellow moon smiling down at him.  "Blimey," he whispered.  "I'd forgotten.  That explains—" he stopped suddenly, gulped, and looked at Lily. "Did you…did you see 'im?"

                "Yes," a voice said, and Potter stepped out from behind the tree.  "She did."

                There was an awkward silence, and Lily sensed she was missing something.  Hagrid looked very, very nervous and uncomfortable.  Potter's expression was oddly serious…he was usually all pompous jokes, but not tonight…

"Well, we'd best be getting back ter school," Hagrid said finally, cracking a nervous smile.  "Yeh too, James."  

Potter nodded sullenly, and Lily noticed that Hagrid had not questioned him at all.  _Does Hagrid already know why Potter was out in the forest this late? _She wondered. _Does he do this regularly?  Sounds likely…Thoughts of a few moments earlier suddenly crowded her mind and she shivered again, too disgusted to question Hagrid.  _

Puppy pranced up to Potter and licked his hand.  Potter patted him lightly on the head as Hagrid turned around.  "Come, Puppy."  

                Puppy's ears perked and he ran after Hagrid.  Lily and Potter followed as well, but from a distance, and she did not speak to him, although thousands of questions for him were burning away in her mind.  

                Hagrid escorted the two to the dark Hogwarts castle doors and opened them.  "Go to bed, yeh two," he said gruffly.  "Especially yeh, James."

                Potter hesitated.  "Hagrid, I—"

                "I already sent Sirius and Peter to bed," he said crossly.  Potter looked sheepish; almost even ashamed.  It was a very strange sight for Lily—the second one that night.  Hagrid slammed the doors shut behind them.

                She was starting to put the pieces together.  As Potter started walking through the Great Hallway, she asked, "Is one of the students a werewolf?"

                He stopped walking, and there was a pregnant pause.  Finally, he answered, "Yes."

                "Oh," Lily whispered, thinking to herself.  There was still something that didn't quite fit.  Potter always was with his friends Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin, but Hagrid hadn't mentioned the latter…

                It all clicked, and she gasped.  She knew he heard her, because he said softly, "Don't tell anyone, Evans.  This is not something the whole school should know."

                She could only nod dumbly.  He started walking again, towards Gryffindor tower.  Lily followed him somewhat closely, too shocked to speak.  She realized everything she knew about the studious, sickly Gryffindor boy Remus Lupin fit perfectly with him being a werewolf, right down to the boggart DADA Professor Vector had brought in one day for experimentation—it had turned into an odd silvery orb when Remus was confronted with it, something she hadn't understood at the time.

                Potter told the Fat Lady the password, "scarlet", and she let them both crawl through the portrait frame, and into the Gryffindor common room.  The common room was, of course, completely empty save the furniture, and the still crackling fire in the fireplace.

                Lily started for the stairs leading up to her dormitory, strangely knowing it would be no use to question Potter further about Remus.  She heard Potter call,   "Oh, by the way,"

                She turned at the bottom of the stairs and looked at him, confused.  He was at the top of the stairs, black hair unnaturally ruffled, looking down at her with his hands in his pockets, wearing his customary smug look.

                There was a brief pause as he hesitated.  Finally, he said, " You're not bad, Lily Evans." 

Lily blinked, confused again, but suddenly she understood, and her rage was back.  She knew he had said that only to make her angry; it was his typical behavior, and unfortunately, it always worked.  She had almost forgotten about _that, too.  "You better not tell anyone," she hissed.  "If you do, I'll—"      _

"Relax, Evans, I won't tell, provided that you don't let anyone know about what you found tonight.  A bit of advice, though," he added, turning away, "Next time, don't close your mouth."  He closed the door behind him, with almost a triumphant "thud".

Blazing, she stomped up the stairs and into her dormitory.  Luckily, she remembered her fellow Gryffindors and did not slam the door, although she very much wanted to.     

Astonishingly enough, it was not until she was seething in her bed that she realized something very important: she had not been kissed before tonight.  James Potter had stolen her first kiss.  

                Lily Evans did not sleep at all that night.

                That was the night Lily really started hating James Potter.

                Ironically, that was also the night he fell head over heels for her. 

A/N: Yes, I am fully aware that nowhere in this chapter was there any mention of Qudditch, but that's because Lily isn't a big fan.  The next installments will go with the title, I promise, this is just a small, well, prologue.  Just to let you all know, this probably takes place early spring…before the infamous Pensieve scene.  I am a canon freak, so I will collaborate this story with the books as much as I possibly can.  I would appreciate some nice reviews…always gives me motivation to write faster…


	2. Rocky Start

LAMQ #1—**_Rocky Start_**

_(Re-written, explanations for old readers will be given at the end…hope you enjoy this chapter. ^_^)_

James was only in front of Platforms Nine and Ten five seconds before being clonked affectionately on the held.  It was, of course, Sirius.

"Padfoot, get off me," James said, raising an eyebrow.  He couldn't help but crack a smile, though, as Sirius winked at him.  

"Hiya, Prongs," Sirius answered, grinning somewhat forcedly.  "I was looking for you.  How did—" he looked behind him at James' parents, who were watching the two boys fondly.  They were always happy to see James' friends.  "Er…hello, Mr. and Mrs. Potter," he said loudly.  

"Good morning, Sirius," Diana Potter, James' mother, said graciously, patting Sirius on the head. She was friendly looking woman with curly brown hair, dimples, and hazel eyes like James'.  "How _are_ you?"

"Fine…" Sirius said, shifting uncomfortably. 

"Er, Mum, Dad, we best get going…" James said, pushing his cart closer to the platforms in an effort to get away from his parents.  

Jonathan Potter, James dad, coughed and looked expectantly at his wife. He was a tall man with the trademark Potter messy black hair and brown eyes, giving off the appearance of an outwardly stern and solemn fellow, although to those who knew him well, his nature was more laid-back and outgoing. 

 Diana looked rather distressed.  "Oh, all right, dear," she sighed and kissed James' forehead.  "You _always_ remember, your father and I love you no matter what."  She always said something like that whenever she left James.  Like she was afraid he'd think she was abandoning him…or something. James was used to this—his parents were paranoid like that.  

"Your mother's right," Jonathan added.  "Have a great first term," He patted James on the back and led Diana away.  Diana, resisting and looking back at James and Sirius one last time, sighed again and finally turned away.

"Damn," Sirius commented quietly, watching the Potters' retreating backs, "You are so lucky." There was almost a bitter tone to his voice.

James blinked. "What do you mean?"

Sirius shrugged a little.  "Don't you see it? They love you," he said bluntly, looking away.  

James blinked.  Sirius hardly ever spoke of his home life.  James himself had only been to Sirius' once, and that had been enough to know he should never visit again. James had heard from his parents that the Blacks were an elite rich family like themselves, but they had completely different viewpoints.  The Blacks were purebloods to the core and downright arrogant about it.  Sirius was the black sheep of the family—he did not agree with the superior pureblood notion.  James vaguely guessed that he fought with his parents more than usual, but Sirius only spoke of them in weak, distant moments, and the boys hated to dwell on negative thoughts anyway.

"Yeah, well, whatever," James said, shrugging. "Anyway, why don't we run through the border?"

"After you, Prongs," Sirius said, smiling again, although his eyes were still somewhat clouded.  James strode easily to the platform wall, pushing his cart with his bags, eagle owl Arty, and his fat orange cat Marigold.  He was always nervous about hitting the wall, but he hated to admit it.  So he didn't start running until he was inches from the wall and—

Suddenly, the red Hogwarts train was in view with students walking, talking, laughing all around.  James grinned, happy to be going to his second home: Hogwarts.  There, his "group": himself, Sirius, Remus and Peter, ruled the halls.  Or that was what they liked to think anyway.  

James quickly spotted Remus, somewhat peaky-looking, no doubt from his monthly problems, talking to his father, a light-haired man who looked like an older Remus. James pushed his cart over and tapped Remus on the shoulder.  Remus smiled a bit when he saw James.  They exchanged greetings and James heard Sirius' cart clanging behind him.  "Don't you try to ditch me, Potter!" he yelled, pulling alongside James and glaring at him.  

James laughed. "Bah, why did you have to catch up _already?"_ he asked, fake-yawning and leaning against his cart.  

Mr. and Mrs. Lupin looked faintly surprised. James always saw them as upstanding people; respectable and kind, but distant. Remus had somewhat of a strange relationship with them; they did not mistreat him, but he always sensed a sort of fear from them that kept him from depending on them too much. Mrs. Lupin, a woman with a soft smile and brown hair usually in a bun, shooed someone out from behind her legs.  That "someone" turned out to be Romulus Lupin, Remus' six-year-old brother, a small dark-haired boy with bright eyes.  He clung shyly to his mother's legs. 

Remus, feeling awkward, said, "Well, Mum, Dad, Rom…I suppose I should board the train with James and Sirius now…"

Mr. Lupin nodded.  "Well, have a nice term, Remus," he said stiffly, as usual.  Mrs. Lupin at least cracked a smile and blew Remus a good-bye kiss.  

Remus smiled a bit, too, and turned his attention to Romulus. "So long, Rom, you'll have to take care of Mum and Dad for me again,"

Romulus blinked and frowned.  Finally releasing his mother's legs, he ran over to Remus' legs and hugged them.  "Bye, Remy. I'll miss you."

"Goodbye," Remus said, patting Romulus' head and then pushed his cart to where James and Sirius were standing, looking slightly stupefied.  "What's with you two?" Remus asked. 

James looked over at Sirius, who winked at him. He then looked past Remus to see Mr. and Mrs. Lupin walking away with Romulus trotting along behind them.  No witnesses.  He grinned at Remus and put on his baby "pity me" face that always worked on his mother.  "_Bye Remy_," he cooed in a high-pitched, little kid voice. 

"_I'll miss you_," Sirius followed, attempting to look little and cute as well, as he clutched James hand tightly.  

Remus rolled his eyes at them both. "You two are jerks, you know that?"

"A good thing," James said, cockily. 

"Don't be a sour puss, Moony," Sirius said, punching Remus' shoulder. "Bit of fun."

"Hmm," Remus answered, shaking his head. "You could use some brotherly love, Padfoot," he said softly, his eyes following a small pale boy on the other side of the station. 

A cold air seemed to pass over Sirius, and his brown eyes darkened. "Not from _my_ brother," he said quietly.

James sensed an awkward silence and quickly clapped the both of them on the shoulders. "Come along, let's board that train!"

They each took their individual suitcases and boarded the train, walking along the compartments, looking for their customary second to last compartment, the one they rode in every year.  They found Peter already sitting there, looking out the window.  When James, Sirius and Remus walked in, though, he jumped to his feet and smiled. 

"I kept everyone away," Peter said, watching the three find seats.

James smiled and took an entire two seats to himself as usual, using the second seat as a footrest. "Nice job, Wormtail…no ickle firsties in _our_ compartment,"

Peter nodded obligingly and the other three took individual seats around James, who was still lounging comfortably.  "So," James asked, "how are you all faring? Since our last meeting, that is," Earlier that summer, while James' parents had been vacationing in Australia, James and his friends had a huge party that involved drinking out the Potter alcohol storage.

"All right," Remus said, "but I still can't believe you guys…breaking into Mr. Potter's wine cellar…"

"Don't tell me you squealed," James said impatiently, looking straight at him.

Remus looked irritated. "I didn't, but I really should have. It's not right." 

Peter sighed. "That's what my mum said, too."

The other three boys blinked.  Then James sat up and glared at Peter. "Wormtail, you squealed!?!!?!"

Peter turned red. "No, Prongs, I didn't…you know my mum, though…she knows everything…I didn't say anything about you guys, though…she just thinks I found something in the house…"

James snorted. "Damn straight," he said, settling back down in his seat.  Peter was constantly berated by his mother, the whole group knew, so it came as no surprise.  Remus looked apprehensive and was about to speak when the compartment door opened. 

   There stood a small chubby boy with wide dimples and short hair in sort of a bowl-shaped haircut.  He stared curiously at the four boys, who blinked back at them, and then smiled.  "Oh, hullo," he said.

James, now feeling irritated at having to sit up so many times, swung his legs back on the ground and looked over at the boy, raising one eyebrow. "Are you lost?" he asked in a mock-sympathy tone.

"Er, no, I was just…" he looked around the compartment, and then caught sight of the empty seat next to James. "Finally, a seat!" he smiled brightly again and started forward, only to be stopped by Peter, who had stood up.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sirius asked gruffly, from his seat on the left next to Remus, who was watching Peter, James and the boy nervously. 

"Oh, I wanted to…" The boy tried to move around Peter, but Peter did an amazingly good job of blocking the boy from all sides. "No firsties," he said firmly. 

"Well, I'm a second year…" the boy answered, shrinking back suddenly. 

Sirius sniggered.  "Like there's a difference," he muttered quite loudly.

James, observing the situation, stood up. "Wormtail," he said coolly, "move aside.  I can take it from here."

"James," Remus cut in, using James' first name for once to show that he wasn't happy with his behavior. "There's—"

James held out a casual hand. "No worries, Moony, no worries." As Peter sat down, he slowly walked up to the boy, whose eyes were moving wildly, like a trapped rodent.  "So, you're a second year?" he asked comfortably.  "Do you have a name?"

"Nicolas," the boy said apprehensively. "Jared Nicolas." 

James nodded, thoughtfully. "Nicolas.  I see. Now," he continued, "I understand you thought you could sit with us?"

Nicolas nodded, although he was looking like he thought he might regret it. 

"If you were intelligent, you would know that you simply cannot sit here," James said in a tone feigning patience. "This is a _sixth-year_ compartment. Nothing below. So find some other compartment."

"But that's not fair..." the boy squeaked, turning away.

James blinked, and his hand moved towards his inside robe pocket. "Excuse me?"

Nicolas seemed to be trying not to be intimidated. "I said, that's not..."

"Maybe," James cut in, pulling his wand completely out, "you didn't hear me properly. I said—"

Abruptly, the compartment door slid open again, this time to reveal a short auburn-haired girl with almond-shaped green eyes—Lily Evans. She stared past James and Nicolas at Remus, who had busied himself with their DADA textbook. "Remus, I knew I'd find you here. We are needed in the prefect compartment..." 

Remus looked up and nodded. "Oh, yes, I nearly forgot..." he stood up with a duffel bag, no doubt where he kept prefect papers and walked past James and Nicolas, who had not moved.

          Lily made to follow him, noticed James and Nicolas, and her eyes fell on James' outstretched wand. "What's going on here?"

          James blinked again and quickly placed his wand back inside his robes. "Nothing, Evans, Nicolas was just looking for a seat, and I was offering…" he trailed off and ran a hand through his hair, messing it up, out of habit.

          She raised a doubtful eyebrow. "Really?"

James nodded slowly. Lily looked down at Nicolas and said, "If you have any brains whatsoever, you'll not want to sit here.  This compartment's full of pricks." She winked at the boy, who blushed a little, and then turned to leave the compartment. James eyes narrowed dangerously, and he had half a mind to hex the life out of the boy, but he realized she was leaving. "Hey, Evans!" he called, turning around himself. 

 He was met with a closed door. She hadn't even given him a second look. He gaped at the door, completely aghast. Remus looked apologetic as he slid through the door himself. "Sorry, Prongs," he mouthed. 

James didn't say anything. He turned and looked at Sirius and Peter, who were looking sympathetic. "Tough luck, Prongs," Sirius said, leaning back against his seat.

"It's a sign," Peter said, shaking his head.

"Shut it, Wormtail," James hissed angrily, and pushed past Nicolas, who was making to sit down in James' seat. "Why are you still here?"

"But you said—" Nicolas started, looking a bit confused, but James interrupted him.

"Get out. Now." 

Nicolas scurried out of their compartment as fast as he could. James sighed, cracked his knuckles a few times and then settled back down his seat, trying not to look too dejected.  

 "Bloody first-years," he muttered.

"You should've just cursed him," Sirius said.

"Why didn't you?" James shot back.  
          Sirius shrugged. "That would've required me standing up. And I'm quite comfortable right here, thank you."

_What did I do wrong? Does she truly hate me? That can't possibly be it. Nobody hates me. I'm James Potter! _

          At that moment, a group of girls walked into the compartment, and James was just about to comment loudly on how this was a _private_ compartment, until he saw who they were.

          It was Jessi Cummings, sixth year Hufflepuff, with long straight blond hair and light blue eyes, and a crowd of girls, most of which James didn't know by name. Next to Sirius, Peter sat up straighter in his seat. The Enthusiasts and Fanciers had arrived.

          "Hiya, James," Jessi cooed. "Sirius," she acknowledged Sirius with a nod of her head before pouncing on James and hugging him. James sighed, but let her hold him close a few seconds before gently pushing her away. "'Morning to you, Jessi," he said, rather graciously, he thought.

          The other girls started chattering away with Sirius; one was even nice enough to say hello to Peter. They all knew better than to bother Jessi Cummings, practically the leader of the self-proclaimed James Potter Enthusiasts, when she was talking to James. 

      "I missed you sooo much," she continued, drawing a heart with her finger on his vest. "Why didn't you owl me?"

          "Because," James said sweetly, patting her on the head, "you expired more than four months ago, dear." 

Jessi blinked and looked crestfallen. "But I—"

"That's right," Peter said, his voice breaking through the chatter. "He's after Lily Evans now."

A gasp ran through the compartment, and Jessi covered her mouth in shock. "It can't be true! I heard, but…" She looked over at James hopefully.

James shrugged in a detached manner. "So what if it's true? I can have any girl I want."

"But she hates you!" a voice squealed from the crowd. 

"Exactly," Jessi said, wrapping an arm around James' waist. "Why waste your time on her when you've got us who worship you?"

James sighed. "It's a game, don't you see? Like Quidditch. I need to make her realize that she loves me. Then she'll go out with me."

"Do you really think that'll work?" James looked toward the compartment door, surprised—Remus had returned from the prefects' compartment. He saw the large number of girls in the compartment, and Jessi's arm around James and sighed hopelessly.

"Welcome back, Moony," Sirius said from underneath the crowd of girls, his voice sounding strained and somewhat bored.

"Well, anyway, I think now is a good time for you to leave, and take them with you," James said, pushing Jessi away again. "I need to converse with my cohorts."

          Jessi sighed dramatically. "All right. Come, girls," she said, turning her golden head and walking out. The girls slowly filed out of the compartment, some bidding farewell to the boys; others just blushing about running off.

          Remus closed the door behind the last girl and let out a deep breath. "Looks like I didn't miss much."

Sirius yawned loudly. "Must they flock around us?"

James shrugged. "It's good for the reputation. All though I think Cummings has an unhealthy fixation. I should work on that…"  

Remus looked over at James from the door. "Are you serious about what you said earlier?" 

          "What do you mean?"

          "About Lily Evans. Wooing her, I mean."

James shrugged. "Sure. It'll be different than dating other girls...a welcome change…I've always wanted to date a redhead."
    
    "10 Galleons says you can't do it by October," Sirius challenged. 
    
                 James glared at him. "15 says I can!" 
    
              Sirius laughed gaily. "You're on, loser," He leaned back in his seat.
    
              "Seriously, though," Remus said, sitting down next to James, "I know Lily Evans well, and it'll take a lot of work for her to accept...she doesn't have the best opinion of you."
    
                "She just says stuff like that," James said dismissively. "Girls always say things they don't mean." 
    
                "I think she might really mean it, though," Remus said uncertainly. "You'll need a plan. You can't just...ask her..."
    
                "Moony, Moony, calm down," James answered, rolling his eyes. "I have it under control."
    
                Remus certainly hoped so...he had a feeling his friend would end up sorely disappointed. 
    
    ~ * ~
    
                James figured he'd wait a few days until after school started to ask her—just so it wouldn't seem too sudden, since he knew most girls hated being rushed. He decided four days was good enough...so on Friday morning he skipped Herbology to "freshen up". Not that he was antsy or anything, but just so he was focused. And it wasn't like he considered that to be a very important class anyway—he could charm Sprout into excusing him any day. 
    
                So in the afternoon, James found Lily Evans in the Gryffindor Common Room, sitting on a couch by the fire with a large stack of books beside her and writing on some parchment. _Hard at work, as usual_, James thought to himself as he reached up to mess his hair up for good measure. He chewed thoughtfully on a hazelnut—he had a bag of nuts with him, part of his grand plan, of course. He walked up behind Lily and peered down at what she was writing. "Hello, Evans, what're you writing?"
    
                "You would know if you had come to Herbology this morning," she said airily, not even glancing in his direction as her quill flew across the page. 
    
                "Ah, well, I was feeling a bit ill," James answered. Lily raised an eyebrow to show her disbelief. He took out a walnut and cracked it with his teeth. "Want some nuts, Evans?"
    
                She looked at the bag he was holding out, then at him, and shook her head slowly. She was about to resume working when James leaned closer so that his face was inches from hers. 
    
                "How about a date?"
    
                Lily blinked, and a confused look spread across her face as she processed his inquiry. Soon enough, she realized his true intentions, and her mouth turned upward in a sign of sadistic amusement. 
    
                "You're so…" she started, shaking her head slightly to emphasize her words. 

James, of course, being utterly convinced that she would accept, took this as a delighted smile and the starting of a compliment. "Attractive? Charismatic? Irresistible?" He grinned cheekily. 

She laughed. Abruptly, her smile faded and she narrowed her eyes to glare at him. "Try_ annoying, turgid, _and_ asinine."_

James blinked, confounded. "Wait—"

"Nothing has changed from last year, "Lily declared loudly, tossing her long red hair behind her shoulder. "I rejected you then, and I do the same now. I wouldn't date you if you were the last man alive on Earth."

Other people who happened to be in the common room at that moment—James hadn't accounted for this—had dropped whatever they were doing to watch the pair, especially since Lily had started talking loudly. James opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off again as she stuck a finger in his face. 

"Remember that next time you even _think_ about asking me out," she finished, pushing his shoulders away so that he was no longer leaning against the couch. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to a place where I won't be disturbed by gits like you." With that, she gathered all of her books and parchment in one swoop and walked up the stairs to the 6th year girl's dormitory. 

James was so surprised—by her pushing him away, or by her total rejection; it was hard to say—that he lost his balance and fell to the floor, spilling his nuts everywhere. He heard Lily close the dormitory door above, but he just sat on the floor, still shocked. There were a few giggles amongst the crowd until someone brave laughed aloud, and soon enough they were all laughing. Normally, James would have been enraged, but at the moment he was too dumbfounded. 

"What are you all staring at?" James blinked back to reality only to see Sirius standing in front of him, glaring at the people who had crowded around James. "Shove off, all of you."

Gradually, the crowd receded, and Remus appeared next to James, holding a hand out. "Can't say I didn't warn you, Prongs," he said, a bit pityingly as he helped James up.

James, still dazed, stood up and looked around the room without saying anything. 

Peter also popped up. "Are you all right?" he asked, looking concerned. 

"Say something, mate," Sirius said, waving a hand in front of James' face. 

James focused on Remus' face. "You were right, Moony," he said quietly. "What do I need to do?"

Remus sighed. "First of all, you need to regain your mind. Come on, we'll take you up to the dormitory." He held James' hand as they headed up the stairs.

Peter shut the door behind them, and James sat down on his bed, Remus following. Luckily, the other four boys that occupied their dormitory were out at the moment.

"How many fingers do you see, Prongs?" Sirius asked, holding up a fist in front of James' face.

"None," James said, rolling his eyes a little. "I'm fine, now, really…but I'm serious Remus. Tell me what to do. She likes you."

  "It'll be difficult. Very difficult. But, you are James Potter, Prongs, and that does count for something, as you managed to get perfect O.W.Ls last year…it's doable." Remus smiled and patted James on the back. "All right, I suppose I'll help you."

"Me, too, for all it's worth," Peter said, smiling at James. "Although Candice is nothing like Lily…" 

"It'll be a team effort," Sirius piped in, grinning hugely. "Like Quidditch!"

"Not like Quidditch," Remus said firmly. "Girls are different."

"How so?" James asked interestedly. An idea was forming in his head.

"Well first of all, they're _living_, while Quidditch is a game, and—"

"Oh, don't be so literal, Moony," James interrupted. "The man makes sense. Love can be played like Quidditch!"

"It can?" Sirius asked, surprised. "I never thought of it like that."

"And since I'm captain this year," James started, "I can try my tactics on both fields!"

"Whatever happened to listening to me?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrow skeptically. 

"Oh, Moony, don't worry, I _know_ this will work," James said impatiently, his mind whirling with the  plans he had formed over the summer for Quidditch and how he could relate them to making Lily like him.  

Remus heaved a sigh and sat down on his own bed. "Whatever you say, Prongs, whatever you say." He doubted this new plan of James', whatever it was, would work, but his real fear was that his friend would suffer even worse embarrassment before he realized the right way to win Lily Evans' heart. 

_A/N: Ehehe. So, I know it's been like….six months since I last updated this…school has been really hectic. I finally (sorta) have control over my schedule, so I'm finding more time to write. So if you all are just patient with me, good things will happen, I guarantee it. This chapter was completely revamped because I decided the other one was 1) too revealing and 2) boring. I have other stuff to post as well in the next couple of days. For those of you new to reading my stuff…please leave comments! I'll love you for it. Thanks for reading this far, as well. Sayonara for now. _


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